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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. last — to go on
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. field — a subject
  6. last — finally
  7. rest — a break
  8. ground — the earth
  9. swing — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rest — what's left
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. field — for sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. last — final
  19. field — farmland
  20. swing — in golf
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ground — crushed
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com